Prostatic adenocarcinoma (CAP) is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in America, with an estimated 186,000 new cases every year (Source: American Cancer Society). Detection and surgical treatment of the early stages of tissue malignancy are usually curative. In contrast, diagnosis and treatment in late stages often have deadly results. Likewise, proper classification of the various stages of the cancer's progression is imperative for efficient and effective treatment. The current standard for detection of prostate cancer is transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided symmetrical needle biopsy which has a high false negative rate associated with it
Over the past few years, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI) has emerged as a useful complement to structural MR imaging for potential screening of prostate cancer Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) along with MRI has emerged as a promising tool in diagnosis and potentially screening for prostate cancer. The major problems in prostate cancer detection lie in lack of specificity that MRI alone has in detecting cancer locations and sampling errors associated with systemic biopsies. While MRI provides information about the structure of the gland, MRS provides metabolic functional information about the biochemical markers of the disease. These techniques offer a non-invasive alternative to trans-rectal ultrasound biopsy procedures.
In view of the above, there is a need in the field for a reliable method for increasing specificity and sensitivity in the detection and classification of prostate cancer.